The show will have at least one banjo, and a whole bunch of actors, and a rotating house. Also, a bit of whistling.

Plus, its songs will include a special bonus feature: Words! (Although which words those will be seems to be a tiny bit uncertain at the moment; like many new musicals, the world-premiere show remains in major flux just now, such that the cast needed to restart one number during the preview to incorporate lyrics that had been recently added but not yet totally committed to memory.)

And here's what we already knew about "Bright Star" but will repeat anyway: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell are not in the show. (And we'll only tell you that 12 more times.)

But the pair did create it, using their Grammy-winning collaboration on the album "Love Has Come For You" as a springboard.

And the ever-versatile comic-playwright-actor-writer and the seasoned singer-songwriter both were on hand (along with Globe artistic chief Barry Edelstein and director Walter Bobbie) yesterday to help introduce the preview and talk about what inspired the show.

Local media were invited to the Old Globe Theater rehearsal room for a sneak premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical from co-creators Steve Martin, left, and Edie Brickell.
— John Gastaldo

Local media were invited to the Old Globe Theater rehearsal room for a sneak premiere of Bright Star, a new American musical from co-creators Steve Martin, left, and Edie Brickell.
— John Gastaldo

Martin spoke of how he and Brickell bonded over their mutual love for the musicals they grew up with. Once the two decided to create one themselves, there was one element missing: "We just needed a story," Martin said.

That came in the form of a 100-year-old news item Brickell dug up; the event in question has been somewhat fictionalized for "Bright Star" and moved in time to the 1920s. (Martin was careful not to reveal more, saying it would be a spoiler to do so).

But once the pair started working on the piece in earnest, other characters and stories began taking on lives of their own: "It starts telling you what it is," as Martin put it.

Martin spoke in mostly serious tones about the show, which he called essentially "a drama with some laughs." But he did flash a glimpse of that trademark wild-and-crazy-guy face when he urged Brickell, just as she began her own remarks: "Talk about me!" (Brickell chose to take the moment to praise the creative team and Globe staff, and Martin also had many nice things to say about the team involved.)

The songs that were showcased -- "Bright Star" and "Way Back in the Day" -- revealed a blend of bluegrass, country and other roots influences, with nice vocal harmonies from the cast and plenty of eye-catching movement (choreographed by Josh Rhodes).

And what else about the show? We'll know much more as soon as this afternoon, when I sit down with Martin, Brickell, Bobbie and Edelstein for a full conversation about "Bright Star."

Look for an update on that here soon, and a full story in the U-T's Sunday Arts before performances begin Sept. 13.